10/23/2026
TREES AND SHRUBS FROM SEED...HOW DOES IT WORK BEST?
Be sure to check out the quiz in the comments before you go. 
If you've followed the page for a minute, you know how much I love building habitat from seed. Tuesday I dropped over $5000 on tree seed, and it'll go out the door to landowner habitat builders across the country over the next few weeks.
But tree and shrub seed acts differently than food plot seed or native prairie seed that we might plant. To be more specific, it waits longer to germinate in order to make sure conditions are prime for growth. That can be frustrating since we are not very patient. 
These two popped up on their own in my tree nursery at the seam of the landscape fabric. Like any seed, they are growing due to the perfect combination of soil contact, moisture, and sun. Why is my nursery a good environment for growing trees from seed?
1. Lack of perennial sod grass competition
Getting the sod out of the way allows the seed to get to the dirt, and reduces competition for water. A little grass isn't bad, but thick sod and thatch will inhibit growth. In this case, both grew out of the seam between the landscape fabric preventing grass growth.
2. Constant damp soil
This is tough to find in nature. Here, I water potted trees every couple of days, so these seams never dry out. In Creation, the places you find lots of young volunteer trees are usually shaded for most of the day. The north edge of a tall patch of timber is a great example. Moisture retention comes from grass thatch, leaf litter, or forest canopy. If seeds are planted in a spot that dries out fairly often, they're going to take much longer to soften up enough to germinate. 
3. Sunlight at the right time
Factors 1 and 2 germinate the seed. Shortly after germination that new plant needs to get its first couple of leaves to the sun ASAP. If you've ever seen what happens after timber harvest, you have watched this play out. If you've ever taken the chainsaw to an area and removed at least half the forest canopy, you have watched this process. Billions of seeds every year germinate, but only a fraction of those get adequate sunlight to continue growth after germ. They either die or stay stunted until storm or human increases sunlight. 
You can always hit me up at the email at the top of the page if you need help finding tree and shrub seed or potted trees. Now is a great time to plant both! 
